When and if to use Fel Flame?

I've been searching DPS improvement for a while now, and one aspect has me confused. To recast the DoT, or use Fel Flame. I just installed AffDots addon to give me a gauge of the power of my dots, but I'm not sure if I should refresh with fel flame or a fresh cast. I know this probably makes me come across as an idiot, but I'd rather ask, get the answer and be ridiculed than not know and do less than I'm capable of. Thanks in advance.

So for clarification and using AffDots as an indicator of DoT power, if I have a DoT up that I cast with full procs, re-casting the same DoT won't overwrite its damage coefficient?

It will not override the power of the dot if applied with the (exact) same buffs currently active. Recast a dot (or FF) with some/all of the buffs expired, your DoT power will decrease (tick for less). Reapply (or use FF) with More buffs active will increase the DoT power.

If you got a shard to spare, I generally SB:SS just when my buffs expire to keep strong buffs rolling. Just remember that you would want to be able to Haunt those strong DoTs aswell.

It will not override the power of the dot if applied with the (exact) same buffs currently active. Recast a dot (or FF) with some/all of the buffs expired, your DoT power will decrease (tick for less). Reapply (or use FF) with More buffs active will increase the DoT power.

If you got a shard to spare, I generally SB:SS just when my buffs expire to keep strong buffs rolling. Just remember that you would want to be able to Haunt those strong DoTs aswell.

(Hope I didnt misread what you were asking.)

I thought they fixed it so that they increase/decrease in power given what current buffs you have and a reapplication was no longer needed nor was holding off an issue.

I thought they fixed it so that they increase/decrease in power given what current buffs you have and a reapplication was no longer needed nor was holding off an issue.

What? Dots have never scaled with buffs without a refresh, it's never been a bug - that's just not how dots work. Never was the case, nor has it ever been intended, certainly isn't the way it is now. There was a bug a while back where hardcasting would average out the power of the dot, instead of replacing - but fel flame WOULD replace it instead of averaging, that was a bug and was fixed in 5.1, if you mean that and I'm misinterpreting it.

well fel flame is excellent to use when you need to refresh your dots on a target with a more supercharged version of your dots when your dot's duration is too high to benefit from a new cast or SB:SS or if you have no soul shards left.

Typically when you have 2 or more int procs active you will want to throw a fel flame out and hard cast CoA. For best use, SB:SS should only be used at the start of DS and the end of DS. During execute SB:SS should then be used to reapply dots.

I for one tend to use it on Vizier Zor'lok HC in the first phase at the attenuation (or whatever) platform. While KJC grants us the ability to cast while running the movement speed penalty is deadly on that platform, and you can't afford to die (especially in 10 man guilds)
So basicly it is a good filler for situations like this.

While KJC grants us the ability to cast while running the movement speed penalty is deadly on that platform, and you can't afford to die (especially in 10 man guilds)
So basicly it is a good filler for situations like this.

Wah? I've never had trouble dodging rings with KJC, only problem I've had is with avoiding Nightmares on Tsulong, where you either need to have no snare stacks, portal, or keep constantly moving, and the blade tempest on blade lord heroic, where again - portal is a godsend. Viziers rings are easy to dodge, even with the snare.

I thought they fixed it so that they increase/decrease in power given what current buffs you have and a reapplication was no longer needed nor was holding off an issue.

False; this has been and never will be the case. The "fix" you are thinking of is the Doomguard. They adjusted the doomguard to update dynamically with your stats, so that you do not have to wait until you have <insert buff/cd here> up to use him.

Yep, you are confusing it with the fix to summoned guardians Xeraxis. As you probably know classes that summoned creatures temporarily usually waited for the ideal time to use them but now they update dynamically.

I have read this multiple times, and hardcasting doesnt really make alot of sense to me, I can refresh with FF and use 1 GCD where if I hardcast it takes 1 GCD + a 1.5 sec. cast (pre haste). That looks like 1.5 sec wasted and extra mana to do the same thing my FF does when I could refresh with FF and get an extra second and a half haunt/mg time. Maybe I am looking at this wrong, so if it is a significant DPS increase I wish someone could explain this in more detail because it makes no sense to me.

I have read this multiple times, and hardcasting doesnt really make alot of sense to me, I can refresh with FF and use 1 GCD where if I hardcast it takes 1 GCD + a 1.5 sec. cast (pre haste). That looks like 1.5 sec wasted and extra mana to do the same thing my FF does when I could refresh with FF and get an extra second and a half haunt/mg time. Maybe I am looking at this wrong, so if it is a significant DPS increase I wish someone could explain this in more detail because it makes no sense to me.

Fel Flame only gives you 6 seconds on UA/Corr per cast. In order to get the same amount of time added to the dot as a normal hard cast you'd have to cast Fel Flame like 6 or 8 times, which is a LOT worse than 2 GCDs.